February 2014 Archives

By Armand Leone of Britcher Leone, LLC posted in Stroke Prevention on Friday, February 7, 2014.

Stoke Prevention Guidelines for women have just been issued by the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) to reduce their risk of stroke. The issue of how men and women differ in their stroke risks has long been discussed so these guidelines are welcomed. The stroke prevention guidelines were published in a recent issue of Stroke and set forth methodology to determine a stroke risk score specifically for women. Each year, there are 55,000 more strokes in women than men. While stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in men, it is the 3rd leading cause of death in women. The guidelines point out that it critical to identify women at risk for stroke and to implement preventive care.

By Armand Leone of Britcher Leone, LLC posted in Air Embolism on Monday, February 3, 2014.

Air embolism is a rare but potentially lethal adverse event caused by certain medical and surgical procedures. It is considered a preventable event that can cause catastrophic injury, is a serious reportable event and costs related to its treatment are not paid by Medicare and Medicaid. The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, did a 7 year review and found 74 air embolism inijuries. The majority of these air embolism injuries resulted from central venous catheters and access devices. The ubiquitous use of central venous catheters when combined with the high mortality rate associated with air embolus requires that hospitals pay special attention to the processes and procedures for their use.